Love is in the Air: How to Manage Office Romances

In the award-winning American television series The Office, a small Pennsylvania workplace is rife with romantic relationships that would horrify any actual HR department. Despite its overdramatized relationships, the comedy sitcom isn’t too off base regarding the real-life ubiquitousness of in-office romantic relationships.

The consequences of office romances

Office relationships often cross workplace superiority levels. In a CareerBuilder study, 35 percent of the women and 25 percent of men surveyed said they’ve dated someone at a higher professional level than themselves. In addition, 27 percent of women and 16 percent of men reported dating their direct boss. These types of relationships can create a host of problems for not just those involved, but the company as a whole.

Office relationships, regardless of whether they involve bosses and their direct reports, also threaten to diminish office morale and employee satisfaction, not to mention they might lead to one or both partners in the relationship leaving the company.

To maintain a smooth-running office, companies should consider requiring employees to disclose in-office romantic relationships. This is something The Office’s fictional company, Dunder Mifflin, got right. In those policies, be specific about do’s and don’ts. For approved office romances, remind employees that professional behavior is always required in the office and at company off-site meetings and events, and those relationship problems should be left at home.

Disclosure may be difficult to enforce, but HR should welcome it by creating a no-judgment zone. It’s widely understood that keeping one’s work and personal lives separate is a wise practice. Phrases like “Don’t mix business with pleasure” and “Leave your baggage at the door” are common when it comes to professionalism. So, employees may be wary of admitting in-office relationships to HR for fear that it will negatively impact their careers. Research shows that one in three romantic office relationships will end in at least one person being fired.

To encourage disclosing in-office relationships, company policies should clearly state that disclosure will not affect an employee’s career trajectory or reputation. HR teams should stress that disclosing a workplace relationship does not mean employees have to admit their relationship to their coworkers, which may help to alleviate their fear of office rumors and gossip.

Companies often focus on recruiting top talent and analyzing the productivity and performance of their staff. But they also must understand that their employees are, in fact, human. Workplace romances are fairly common and should be expected. By enforcing strong but empathetic HR policies, companies can ensure their staff feels respected should they meet someone in the office and protected if they are mistreated by a superior or colleague.